DVH 357 MAG and SSK 445 SM Range outing

[J A XSP]

Well, that was fun!
I set up my new Lynx with the SSK 445 barrel that I hadn't shot in a bit and was eager to try out the combination, along with my new stock. Also just got my DVH 357 Mag carbine barrel yesterday and simply couldn't wait to try it out. A quick range session this morning was very rewarding!
:)

I've been on the hunt for a good 357 carbine barrel lately and when one showed up in the DVH list, I had to call up Craig and get it nailed down. He actually held on to it for a bit while I freed up some cash and I'm grateful that he did. The barrel is a stunner and the most perfunctory accuracy check shows sub-MOA capability right off the bat. I had some factory ammo around and I loaded up a few generic loads with bulk JHPs and a charge of H110 that was literally wherever the powder measure landed when I cranked it down from my 44 mag level. The measure was throwing a consistent 15.4 grains and the max load goes from 16 to 17 depending on the data source. I called that good enough and filled some cases.
I threw the barrel onto a frame that's been bouncing between barrels and used a stock that's been having trouble and to which I added an aluminum shim in the frame slot. I hadn't been able to tighten it because the wood is worn and weak but the shim locked it down dead tight. I had a 3-9X Bushnell Trophy sitting idle so that went on along with a weaver base.
At the range, the set up was exactly what I had hoped. Recoil is mild and the barrel length makes for a very handy feel. It really is nice to shoot. I lobbed some rounds at 25 to zero the scope a little and moved out to 50 to see how the quickie loads performed. I cleaned the barrel a couple of times and the last group was promising to say the least - fouling shot sitting just outside a 3-shot cloverleaf.


The SSK rig is just a beauty, as seen in a couple of other posts and I was eager to see what my new stock would do with some snappy recoil. The 445 is just a bit of a beast in the Contender, no matter how you set it up but I found the shape of the stock and a decent recoil pad went a long way toward making it very bearable. :)
The new Lynx frame is cranky about closing with this barrel and requires a bit of force to get it to fire at all. I'm leary of lock-up inconsistency causing accuracy problems but that concern is completely unnecessary in this case. A few loads that I've worked up on another frame shot even better than they had before.


Can't wait to get some time to refine the set-up on the 357 and try some different barrels on the Lynx frame.

[Bobby Tomek]

Nice!!! I get the feeling that the DVH .357 barrel will soon become your favorite. Recoil in a rifle setup is negligible, but it packs plenty of punch for deer-sized game out to reasonable ranges. The Barnes pistol bullets increase its effectiveness even more. It's just too bad how pricey those are. The Barnes Vor-TX ammo is very mild, but I used it because -- when on sale -- it was cheaper than buying just the individual bullets. I think it clocked something like 1140 fps from a 6" revolver, but the expansion out to 100 yards was impressive, to say the least.

I took one hog with the Ruger revolver and the Vor-TX load one evening after driving down to retrieve another hog I had shot. The range was only about 35 yards, and I fully expected to have a tracking job after the shot on a boar of about 185-190 pounds. The presentation was just barely quartering. The shot entered tight behind the shoulder and exited the opposite shoulder. At the shot, he dropped and slid a few feet down the sandy embankment. I actually thought I flubbed the shot and hit the spine, but that was not the case. It caught part of the heart and damaged the bottom of both lungs. For a low-velocity load, the amount of internal damage was impressive. Even more impressive was that it still managed to exit.

Now you have me wanting a .357 carbine LOL...

Edited to add: I think "love" got the boar killed. The hog I took was a sow. There were several sows and some shoats out in a clearing that evening. I didn't see the boar. It seems the sow I shot was in season, and I am guessing he was trailing her and didn't want to leave the area. It didn't end so well for him ha ha.

[J A XSP]

Nice!!! I get the feeling that the DVH .357 barrel will soon become your favorite. Recoil in a rifle setup is negligible, but it packs plenty of punch for deer-sized game out to reasonable ranges. ...

When I opened the box, I chambered a sized case and a loaded round just to see how tight or loose the chamber was cut. There was immediately no doubt that this has a "target" chamber. Nothing just drops in. There's ever so slight friction most of the way into the chamber. It's not the least bit hard to push the round in but the case feels the chamber wall the whole way. The throat is short and precise with maybe .050 or so to the lands when using the crimp ring on the bullets I tried today. I know that chambers don't have to be perfect for a barrel to be pretty accurate, but it's really, really cool when it's cut to demanding specs. :)

The frame that I'll use for this barrel will have to accommodate at least one more from time to time but I have a feeling that this barrel will be the one that stays set up and ready to go most of the time. If I get a chance to do some walking on my son's place next fall and winter, I feel pretty certain that this is the rig I'll carry. I'm digging my 44 mag carbine barrel, for sure, but this thing is pushing all the right buttons for me. :)

[BT]

When things come together, it’s a good feeling and a relief.

Are all of the VH barrels tapped as far forward for the scope base?

[J A XSP]

When things come together, it’s a good feeling and a relief.

Are all of the VH barrels tapped as far forward for the scope base?

I don't know about other barrels but this one did seem pretty far forward. It's tapped for 4 holes but I think I can get a 6-hole base from Eabco and just use the front 4.

[Bobby Tomek]

They're not all quite as far forward as JA's. I have a feeling that barrel was destined to perhaps have a low-powered or Scout-type scope on it. But Van Horn and Bullberry do them right when it comes to having the holes somewhat forward on rifle barrels. It allows better and more even ring spacing with full-sized scopes.

Here's a Bullberry barrel:



Here's a Van Horn:



Here's an EABCO barrel. Notice how the scope is farther back than the others and does not give perfect eye relief because I am already out of room. The ring closest to the muzzle is on the last slot, and the ring is nearly bumping the turret housing. If drilled for 6 holes, you can work around that, but if only four, you are limited.





Here's a factory TC barrel: it has the same issue of not being able to mount a scope to optimum eye relief and alignment.





And unless they have 6 holes, MGM barrels are no better in that regard:





Here's a better view of an MGM:

[J A XSP]

This is my Eabco 24" 44 mag...it's definitely much further back. That's a relatively small scope and it has to go way forward on the mount.

[Bobby Tomek]

Many years I talked to one of the MGM guys about this before ordering a barrel. His response was "...yea, we know...but..."

The only solution offered was to drill either 6 or 8 holes. Their policy may have changed by now, but back then, they would not move the standard 4-hole setup any farther forward. That just made no sense to me.

[sunnysmarine]

When I opened the box, I chambered a sized case and a loaded round just to see how tight or loose the chamber was cut. There was immediately no doubt that this has a "target" chamber. Nothing just drops in. There's ever so slight friction most of the way into the chamber. It's not the least bit hard to push the round in but the case feels the chamber wall the whole way. The throat is short and precise with maybe .050 or so to the lands when using the crimp ring on the bullets I tried today. I know that chambers don't have to be perfect for a barrel to be pretty accurate, but it's really, really cool when it's cut to demanding specs. :)

The frame that I'll use for this barrel will have to accommodate at least one more from time to time but I have a feeling that this barrel will be the one that stays set up and ready to go most of the time. If I get a chance to do some walking on my son's place next fall and winter, I feel pretty certain that this is the rig I'll carry. I'm digging my 44 mag carbine barrel, for sure, but this thing is pushing all the right buttons for me. :)

My favorite chambers are the ones you have to wait a few seconds for the brass to cool off, I hate sloppy neck chambers